Ascending to Immortality by Slaying Spirits

Chapter 76: Robbery of a Merchant Caravan
A day later, a caravan of itinerant merchants was moving slowly along the trade route, with mules and horses carrying heavy goods, their hooves making a dull thud.

In the dense forests on both sides of the mountain road, the bandits had already laid in ambush, waiting for their prey to step into their trap.

Shao Hu stood on the hilltop, his large, copper-bell-like eyes fixed on the flags of the caravan, staring at the flamboyant "Xiang" character. His rough, calloused hands kept stroking the long sword at his waist.

The blade of the long sword gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the dappled shadows of the trees.

Time passed slowly, and the traveling merchants' caravan unknowingly walked into the bandits' encirclement.

They didn't think any force around Bailian County would dare to rob their Xiang family's caravan.

Shao Hu slowly raised his arm high, then suddenly brought it down.

Oh oh oh!
A short, sharp bugle call sounded; this was the signal to attack.

The moment the horn sounded, the bandits roared out from both sides of the forest like tigers descending the mountain.

They emitted chilling shouts and eerie cries, putting pressure on their prey.

The caravan was terrified by this sudden turn of events. The mules and horses were frightened, neighing and jumping around wildly, and the goods were scattered all over the ground.

But the guards quickly reacted and drew their weapons to resist, but they were far outnumbered by the bandits, who brandished long knives and spears, forming a dense, overwhelming force that put immense psychological pressure on them.

One of the bandits charged at a guard, raising his long sword high, drawing a cold arc in the sunlight.

The guard's eyes widened, his face filled with terror. Before he could react, the long sword had already come crashing down.

Blood splattered, and the guard screamed and collapsed to the ground.

The guards fought back fiercely, engaging in a fierce battle with the bandits.

But the bandits had the advantage of initiative and numbers. Like a pack of mad beasts, they kept attacking the merchants' defenses. Amidst the flashing swords, the screams of the guards rose and fell.

Shao Hu also joined the battle, setting his sights on the leader of the traveling merchants' group, a middle-aged man dressed in gorgeous silk.

The middle-aged man looked at Shao Hu and shouted, "Shao Hu, are you crazy? We are members of the Xiang family!"

Shao Hu grinned maliciously: "We're killing people from your Xiang family."

As he spoke, he swung his knife at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man fought back fiercely, but with only the sixth level of cultivation, he was no match for Shao Hu, who had the eighth level.

With a swift swing of the longsword, a head fell to the ground, and Shao Hu, holding the severed head, roared with excitement.

Seeing their leader's incredible prowess, the bandits' morale soared. Meanwhile, the guards, seeing their strongest leader dead, lost all will to fight and only thought about breaking through and escaping.

But Shao Hu wouldn't let this "evidence" get out. With a swing of his broadsword, a shower of blade light fell, cleaving the fleeing guards in two.

The battle ended quickly; the caravan members lay scattered on the ground, none alive.

The bandits began to plunder the goods with great excitement, their faces beaming with greedy and satisfied smiles, as if the blood and corpses scattered on the ground had nothing to do with them.

As the sun gradually set, the forest returned to silence, leaving only a scene of bloodshed and death. A black cat slowly stepped into the forest.

"By the Supreme Lord's decree, may your lonely soul, all ghosts and demons, and all beings of the four kinds of life be saved by this decree, and may you be reborn quickly! May you be reborn quickly!"

The black cat spoke in human language, calming the resentment that filled the ground.

The underground merit entered the inner realm of supernatural power. Looking in the direction the bandits had left, the black cat revealed a strange smile: "You'd better be careful with this money for buying your lives."

The next day, Xiang Lingchen looked at the corpses all over the courtyard. At this moment, even the deepest composure could not contain his raging anger. He roared, "Wei Zhenshan, I will never let you get away with this!" "Men, take my warrant and go to the military camp to get three hundred soldiers. Rake Ertou Mountain flat!"

He roared at dawn, and no one around him tried to stop him. They were also filled with anger, after all, the corpses on the ground were their nephews or brothers!
On the other side, Wei Zhenshan, upon hearing the news from his servant, also stood up abruptly, exclaiming in shock and anger, "What did you say? Shao Hu actually robbed and killed the Xiang family's caravan!"

"Yes," the servant bowed his head.

"How is this possible? How is this possible? Does Shao Hu have a death wish?!" Wei Zhenshan paced back and forth anxiously.

He couldn't believe that Shao Hu would dare to do such a thing. Without his orders, he actually robbed and killed the Xiang family's caravan. Did he think that the recent losses suffered by the Xiang family in the city were all caused by him, the county magistrate?
"Sir, is it possible that someone is spreading false information?" the servant asked boldly. "A few days ago, one of our sentries was taken down, so some confidential information may have been leaked."

Wei Zhenshan immediately stopped, his expression uncertain. After being reminded by his servant, he realized that it was indeed possible.

After all, he knew Shao Hu's character. Although Shao Hu was vindictive, he wouldn't be so unwise as to attempt to kill the Xiang family without Shao Hu's backing.

"Damn it, it was my mistake!" Wei Zhenshan stomped his foot in frustration. He had only thought about moving some secrets away, but completely forgot to notify his subordinates and change the password.

"Men, prepare the horses!" Wei Zhenshan shouted. He had to stop Xiang Lingchen first.

Upon learning this news, Xiang Lingchen will surely raze Ertou Mountain to the ground.

It doesn't matter if ordinary bandits die, but it's different for Shao Hu; he only has a few skilled men left.

As long as Shao Hu doesn't go to Ling Chen, his chances of survival will greatly increase.

Stepping outside, Wei Zhenshan felt uneasy again: "Never mind, no need to prepare a horse, I'll go myself!"

As he spoke, Wei Zhenshan immediately ran out the door, his somewhat overweight body now as light as a hawk.

Wei Zhenshan had barely arrived at the city gate and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when he saw a group of people rushing towards him.

Wei Zhenshan immediately blocked the road.

Seeing Wei Zhenshan blocking the way, a cold glint appeared in Xiang Lingchen's eyes as he sat on horseback.

Instead of slowing down towards dawn, it began to accelerate.

As the car sped towards dawn, Wei Zhenshan sighed inwardly, knowing that he wouldn't make it through the day without suffering a bit.

As the distance between them drew closer, the horse's hoof inevitably struck Wei Zhenshan in the early morning.

With a thud, Wei Zhenshan was kicked flying.

Xiang Lingchen also pulled on the reins to stop the horse: "Lord Wei, why did you block the road? I didn't even see you."

Wei Zhenshan stood up, looking disheveled: "I just have something urgent to tell you, Lord Xiang. How about we find a place to chat for a while?"

"No, I heard that a group of audacious bandits came from outside the city and wiped out a caravan of seventy-eight people!" Xiang Lingchen's tone was as cold as unyielding ice. "It is my duty as the county magistrate to suppress bandits and keep the people at peace. I will not have a moment's peace until these bandits are completely wiped out!"

"Such a thing has happened!" Wei Zhenshan said, feigning shock. "Then please, Lord Xiang, do your utmost to wipe out these bandits."

Then he changed the subject: "But there's no need for you to go personally, sir. You have plenty of talented people under your command; why would you need to personally deal with a bunch of bandits?"

"What if I insist on going?" Xiang Lingchen asked coldly.

“But there are still villains in the city, Lord Xiang.” Wei Zhenshan cupped his hands and said, “Don’t forget how many people that villain has killed in the past few days. This gang of bandits may well be his accomplices. Please think it over.”

Wei Zhenshan's words carried a deeper meaning: "Without you here, who knows what kind of murders might occur in the city."

(End of this chapter)